Bryan Pannebaker spent 11 years working for Chrysler and the last 16 years at Ford. He's a member of the United Auto Workers union who has rallied for fair wages, and he supports collective bargaining.Watch video
LANSING, MI -- Bryan Pannebaker spent 11 years working for Chrysler and the last 16 years at Ford.
He's a member of the United Auto Workers union who has rallied for fair wages, and he supports collective bargaining.
But Pannebaker is part of a group gathering at the Michigan Capitol today to urge lawmakers to introduce and approve "right-to-work" legislation, which would prohibit unions from requiring employees to pay dues as a condition of employment.
UAW President Bob King has compared right-to-work to a "war on workers," and critics say it would hurt unions' ability to fight for employee wages and benefits. AFL-CIO and other union members gathered at the Capitol last week to oppose the introduction of bills.
But Pannebaker, who identifies himself as a conservative and serves as a spokesman for "Michigan Freedom to Work," said he believes unions could remain strong in the workplace despite right-to-work if they spent less on politics.
"Unions have become pretty much a fundraising arm of the Democratic party, and that's what I object to," Pannebaker said today outside the state Capitol as he prepared to speak with lawmakers. "I'm 100 percent in favor of collective bargaining, and right-to-work will not end collective bargaining."
Hear more from Pannebaker, including what life is like for a conservative union member, in the embedded video above.
Right-to-work remains the hot topic at the Capitol this week, as Republican leaders debate whether to introduce a bill, which likely would dominate discussion during the remainder of the "lame-duck" session. We'll have more on the story throughout the day and week.
Jonathan Oosting is a reporter for MLive Media Group's statewide news team. Email him at joosting@mlive.com.